This application relates to a geared turbofan with a generator driven with a low pressure compressor.
Gas turbine engines are known and, typically, include a fan delivering air into a bypass duct as propulsion air, and further delivering air into a core engine. Air entering the core passes into a compressor section where it is compressed and delivered into a combustor. The air is mixed with fuel in the combustor and ignited. Products of this combustion pass downstream over turbine rotors driving them to rotate.
Historically, there has been a low speed spool and a higher speed spool. The low speed spool drove a first stage compressor along with the fan rotor. The speed of rotation of the fan was limited by various considerations and, thus, in this direct drive engine, the speed of the entire low speed spool had to be limited.
Generators are associated with gas turbine engines to generate electricity from the rotation of the spools. Generators may be associated with a high speed spool. It has also been proposed to utilize a generator driven by the low speed spool. However, since the speed of the low speed spool has been limited, the amount of power available from the generator driven by the low speed spool as a function of size and weight has been similarly limited.
More recently, it has been proposed to include a gear reduction between the fan and the first stage compressor.